Woman Almost Dies While Giving Birth to First Child after a Nurse Misdiagnosed Her

A woman revealed how the most special occasion in her life took a deadly turn when her life was jeopardized while giving birth to her baby. As it turned out, she had developed a very rare and fatal health condition.

Becoming a mother is one of the most precious feelings in the world. Even though it comes with its fair share of trauma and pain, motherhood is filled with moments of pure joy and bliss, and children are the best reward a mom can wish for.

However, Kayleigh Summers' motherly sentiments were overshadowed for a while as she struggled to survive while delivering her baby. Summers, who goes by the username @thebirthtrauma_mama, has shared her experience on TikTok.

SUMMERS' SURVIVAL STORY

Her profile information on TikTok reads: "LSW, AFE Survivor, and Birth Trauma." She also runs a blog where mothers like her can share their postpartum journeys. Summers shared her journey of surviving AFE in her short video on TikTok. The mom-of-1 said:

"During labor with my first and only child, I was 10 centimeters and ready to meet my baby when I suddenly didn't feel well."

The TikToker lives with her baby Callahan, her husband, and their dog. She's a licensed social worker and a school clinician. After surviving AFE, she decided to share her survival story with the world through her blog.

Summers gave a glimpse of her tough journey in her short TikTok clip, which has garnered around 3.7 million views so far. She also said that when she told the nurse about her condition, she said that the transition was normal. Further, she revealed:

"She [the nurse] quickly grabbed me a bag to throw up in and double-checked my vital to be safe (sic)."

Despite the mother pointing out that something was wrong with her, the nurse kept reassuring her that she was fine. However, Summers' gut instincts turned out to be right when she collapsed after some time.

As it turned out, something wasn't right with her heart. The AFE survivor continued to give away more details regarding her complicated birth experience, further adding:

"I immediately went into cardiopulmonary arrest. I was experiencing an amniotic fluid embolism and required CPR two different times for a total of 12 minutes."

Summers claimed that she was then put on an ECMO machine to pump oxygenated blood in her body, alongside an Impella device which enabled her heart to function properly. She also had a total hysterectomy and required over 140 units of blood.

WHAT IS AFE?

According to the National Organization of Rare Diseases, AFE is a fatal condition that impacts expecting women before, during or following labor and childbirth. Amniotic fluid embolism can also have detrimental effects on a mother's health and is unpredictable.

It's more likely to happen during labor, and the survival rate for this condition is also fairly low. Thus, Summers surviving the condition was nothing less than a miracle. She also noted that following her diagnosis, her nurse did everything to save her life.

She also said that the entire series of events was "about intuition and experiencing the weirdness that is the 'sense of doom.'"

NETIZENS REACT

Several netizens were quick to share their thoughts and feelings on the TikToker's video. One user said: "I just want to say, I'm so so sorry you experienced this type of trauma. I'm also so happy you're alive (sic)."

Another one shared their AFE survival story: "I am also a AFE survivor. Mine was 5 years ago. Very thankful for the medical team who saved me and my daughter (sic)."

Undoubtedly, Summers' survival story is nothing short of a miracle, and through her blog, she's given mothers like her a platform to share their stories as well.